Following up on our article regarding the Cristiano Ronaldo prolonged transfer saga, TF90M's Spanish Correspndent Matt Allen gives us his view on whether the Portuguese winger would benefit Real Madrid...
So far it has been a disastrous season for Real Madrid, going into the winter break they lay in 5th position and 12 points off league leaders Barcelona. Some argue that the on-going Ronaldo saga in the summer has disrupted their season, however if Real Madrid sign him in January could he make the difference and turn their season around?
Since the appointment of Juande Ramos Real Madrid have started to bounce back, ignoring the 2-0 loss to Barcelona (however, remember they were drawing until the 83rd minute and it was at the Nou Camp), they won 3-0 in the Champions League against Zenit and won 1-0 against Valencia. The positive end to a disappointing first half of the season shows that Real Madrid are likely to come back stronger in the second half of the season, however if they sign Ronaldo would he make an immediate impact.
History supports Ronaldo’s case, when Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Beckham moved to Real Madrid they adapted immediately and were all instantly successful, evidence suggests that Ronaldo would follow in their footsteps. Firstly, Ronaldo is well suited for La Liga: he is quick, technically brilliant and good in the air. Lastly, if Ronaldo moved in January, the team would be built around him, he would instantly become the biggest star of Real Madrid and for the first time in his career…loved! Of course most United fans love him, but everyone else hates him, if Ronaldo joined Madrid the whole of Spain would love him. The combination of factors supports the view that Ronaldo would be an instant hit if he moved to Bernabeu in January.
On the other hand, there is a lot of evidence against this idea, for a start the Real Madrid team is no way near as good as the Manchester United team, Ronaldo would not get the same service at Real Madrid and he might not win as many trophies either. Also, Real Madrid is a notoriously unstable club, managers don’t last long and the constant arrival and departure of players means that the team spirit is almost non-existent. This is a huge contrast to the stability of Manchester United, a solid team spirit with an immovable manager. All this could unsettle Ronaldo, plus the fact that he would have to adapt to a new city and country might be too much for him to take.
Finally, would this move benefit Real Madrid, yes they would sell a lot of shirts, but would he bring them La Liga and the Champions League. I say no, the reason Manchester United have been so successful in the last two seasons is not purely because of Ronaldo, it is because they have quality in every position. This is not true with Real Madrid, there defence is best described as pathetic, they very rarely obtain clean sheets and the confidence of Casillas is disintegrating. If I was the Real Madrid manager I would buy a defender not another attacker. In La Liga this season Real Madrid have scored 34 goals, the 3rd highest total in the league, scoring goals does not seem to be the problem, the problem is conceding the and Ronaldo will not solve this problem. A good defence is key to consistency and this is why Ronaldo will not win them La Liga or the Champions League. Yes, he would score goals but that is not what Real Madrid need at the moment, they need defenders!
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